Obituary of Peter Joseph Durand

We wish to honor the life of our beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend, Peter Joseph Durand. On Saturday, October 2, 2021 at the age of 57, he lost his long and courageous battle with esophageal cancer. To all those who knew him, he lived larger than life. One of his passions was the game of baseball, but especially his New York Mets. With all the ups and downs that came with the orange and blue, Peter rode that roller coaster with white knuckled gusto. He rode the “ride of his life” in the same way. His profession in the Culinary Arts was no exception. He had a purpose driven (his words) work ethic that allowed him to quickly rise to key leadership positions. He started out as co-owner of a Long Island restaurant where he created a menu second to none. He moved onto being an Executive Chef and General Manager in culinary facilities in Pennsylvania, California and Florida. He worked many years at The Marriot Marquis in Times Square overseeing their flagship restaurants which was one of the highlights of his career. Over the past eight years, Peter was Executive Chef at LSG Sky Chefs at JFK International Airport. He oversaw catering and menu planning for high profile private international flights. Peter was a leader, mentor, and friend to many heart-broken co-workers. He spoke of his co-workers here as family. In his adventurous life, his family was always pivotal. He had a special relationship with his mother. He shared every special moment in his life with her first. Peter was by her side in her times of need, especially during his father’s illness. He found a way to make his siblings, nieces, and nephews feel like they were each the most important. His passion for the Mets was vigorously passed down to his nieces and nephews near and far. He made us laugh, and his enthusiasm for life has touched us all. The world seems like a quieter more serious place with his passing. He had the best friends a man could ever ask for. They loved and supported him throughout his life and stayed by his side until he passed. He loved well and had much love given in return. Peter fed us all with his passion for life and we all enjoyed the feast. He will be sorely missed by his loving family and multitude of friends. Peter was preceded in death by his father, Leo Durand. He is survived by his mother Doris Durand, his brother Richard Durand (Amy), sisters Pamela Agresti (Robert), Laura Marino (Robert) and Janice Marie Durand (Peter Goodman) and nieces and nephews. Donations can be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research in Peter’s name. A link for donations has been provided on the left hand side of the page. The family requests that masks are worn during the visitation, regardless if you are unvaccinated or vaccinated for the Covid-19 Virus